The solution already exists in other industries. In film, nations have their own regional selection. In Canada, the government helps fund and ensure a Canadian film industry thrives. We enjoy the big Hollywood blockbusters, but we also have a steady stream of smaller, but Canadian shows and movies to enjoy. In these, we are not beholden to anyone's rules but our own - the way it should be. Similar film industries exist all over the world, in every major country. To me, this is an acceptable balance. It ensures regional diversity, does not close the door to foreign content and removes the unfair onus from a foreign power to consider the global impact, rather than the national, of their decisions.
This system is not without flaws, however. When governments get involved, a game would have to personify more than a national moral code, but also national content. If I were to produce a football game in such an environment, it would have to be about the CFL, not the NFL. A war game would take place during the War of 1812, not the Punic Wars. This kind of limited scope, serves to promote the national identity and justifies government involvement, but also largely limits the appeal of the product. That said, while not ideal, it is one of the few solutions to a particularly sticky problem.
Let us step back from the debate and look at this from another perspective. Let us pretend for a moment that China, not the United States, was the global leader and trendsetter for Western gaming content. Suddenly, based on the recent decisions by their government to ban PvP content for those under eighteen and put three hour limits of consecutive game time, the games you enjoyed were changed. Americans, not beholden to those decisions, find themselves unable to subscribe to their games of choice because the company could not accept accounts created by minors or it automatically logged players out after three hours. An extreme example, but it puts this debate in perspective.
In the end, it is the right of Americans to dictate their own internal policies, and as much as the rest of the world may not like it, they cannot possibly consider all the global implications of each move. Even still, what Americans decide to do concerning regulations on game content has a far-reaching global impact. Regardless of whether such global responsibilities are a fair burden, they are real and cannot be ignored.
Dana "Lepidus" Massey is the Lead Content Editor for MMORPG.com and former Co-Lead Game Designer for Wish.
